Create for Real Good, Innovate Not to Decimate

Lai Cheng April 21, 2025 0 Comments

Creativity and innovation – hailed for advancements in technology, medicine, communication, art and more – are often seen as tools for social and economic progress. But what is important is that they become tools for meaningful living. These two values can be harnessed to create narratives that give our existence profound purpose. They can serve as catalysts for fostering good living based on the principles of fairness, inclusivity and sustainability.

World Creativity and Innovation Day falls on April 21. As this day approaches, let us reflect on the deeper meaning of creativity and innovation, and examine how we can use these gifts to transform our lives, overcome challenges of our times and solve the problems that threaten our shared future, with the ultimate aim of preserving and enhancing humanity.

Innovate ethically. Artificial intelligence (AI) which is now mainstream can yield biased algorithms that cause harm and technologies that threaten security, privacy and even human existence. Prof Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist regarded as one of the “godfathers” of AI development, has expressed concern that powerful AI systems could make humans extinct. AI also has the potential to reproduce biased information, or discriminate against some social groups. Rushed applications of AI have resulted in systems with racial and gender biases, creating polarization. Tech companies are racing to build ever more powerful AI systems while research into AI safety lags far behind. This technology needs a good rethink.

Create with a conscience. The smartphone is another modern tech that poses serious concerns. We have very little control over the personal information our smartphones collect from us – e.g. location data which can be used to track our movements and behaviour. Apps, websites, and even the phone’s operating system itself, track us all the time not only for location services, but also targeted advertising. The handphone now hijacks our attention, time, and well-being, controlling us more than we think. And it has become a tool for fake news, cyberbullying, scams and pornography. Handphones also create unnecessary and excessive waste – many phones don’t get recycled and those that do may be harming people and the planet. Smartphones revolutionise our lives – but at what cost?

Provide equitability for all. New inventions and technological advancements are major drivers of wealth creation for innovators and investors, exacerbating wealth inequality. The technology sector has seen a particularly high number of “technopreneurs” and billionaires emerge in recent decades. In the US, there are fears that AI will widen the country’s already huge income and wealth inequality by creating a new wave of billionaire tech barons at the same time that it pushes many workers out of better paid jobs. Innovation must not create wealth for only certain people. True advancement must come with equitable wealth for all.

Build a resilient society. Creativity and innovation invite us to create not just for ourselves, but for the generations to come. How we use them thus determines how our future comes into being. Let’s use them thoughtfully and responsibly so that they become powerful forces for advancing true progress and building strong communities that can withstand challenges in our changing world.

Challenge the status quo. Faced with the complexities and adversities of modern life, some societies today have challenged the status quo and successfully used creativity as a communal force for collective progress and better living. In some parts of the world, and even here in Malaysia, inspired communities have come out with innovative grassroots solutions to societal challenges. Nurtured by collaboration and the exchange of perspectives, they innovatively solve environmental, social and economic problems. Such efforts are worth emulating.

Find a better way. Creativity is not merely an expression of art or an act of invention – it is the essence of what it means to be human. We can find ways to live better, as well as save the environment – e.g. reduce waste, rethink consumption habits, or adopt new eco-friendly technologies. They empower us to make conscious choices that benefit the planet and future generations. There are practices that align imagination and ingenuity, that people, companies and policymakers can adopt for the benefit of all.

1. Strengthen local economies

  • Set up our own food production for self-reliance and dependency, instead of relying on imports.
  • Encourage urban agriculture as an alternative to our current agricultural food system which not only creates wastage, but also alienates communities, with rural areas being primary food producers and urban areas having to rely on external food supplies, thus creating an urban-rural divide.
  • Adopt a farm-to-table approach. Change how we source our food by buying fresh produce directly from the farms. This system prioritises sustainability, transparency, and community. At the same time, it reduces waste, cuts down on food miles, and build stronger connections within communities.
  • Join community-owned enterprises that promote sustainable living (e.g. co-ops that connect like-minded producers and consumers to support the local circular economy).
  • Community currencies, a grassroots innovation that support local retailers and build a sense of community, are now used in many parts of the world. Its aim is to build more equal, connected and sustainable societies. A community currency is a special, local currency that can only be used within a certain locale at shops or other businesses that have signed up to accept it as an alternative to the official, national currency, with the goal of encouraging spending in the local economy. The concept has been around for decades and there are thousands of community currencies in the world today.

 2. Save seeds, protect agriculture. In many developing countries, including Malaysia, farmers have used a creative process to maintain seed diversity on their farms by selecting and preserving quality seeds in order to continue growing them in the future. These seeds are conserved through generations. Community seed banks – collections of seeds maintained and administered by the communities themselves – have also been set up to support farmers’ seed saving and exchanging. Seed saving is an innovative approach that reduces reliance on commercial seed producers, potentially saves money and promotes self-sufficiency in farming.

3. Live sustainably

  • Repurposing old items, like turning glass jars into storage containers or planters, blend sustainability with creativity. This is something every individual can do.
  • Eco-friendly packaging and reuse systems. Supermarkets and local traders can use natural packaging for produce (e.g. banana leaves) as has been practised in Thailand and Vietnam. These are good solutions to environmentally- and health-damaging plastic packaging. To reduce plastic pollution, we need to make reuse systems the norm.

While we celebrate those who dream, dare, and do – the artists, inventors, thinkers, and changemakers – let us ask ourselves how we, too, can contribute and what new ideas we can explore to bring about real change in life. Let’s challenge the limits of possibility based on good values, in order to create a truly better world for ourselves and the future generations.

 

 

Mohideen Abdul Kader
President
Consumers’ Association of Penang

Letter to the Editor, 19 April 2025